Sign-writer s apparatus



no Model.) 2 'SheetsSheet 1.

' H. O. CARVER.

SIGN WRITERS APPARATUS.

Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

WITNESSES.

ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 2 s1 166tS-Sh66t 2.

H. ofoARvBR.

SIGN WRITERS APPARATUS.

No. 576,949. I Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

F'NZ.

yIllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/ I/III/I/II/l ATTORNEYS.

f1 EUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN O. CARVER, OF RED OAK, IOVA.

SIGN-WRITERS APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent no. 576,949, dated February 9, 1897.

Application filed May 6, 1898. Serial No. 590,434- (No model.)

To @213 whom it may concern: modification; and Fig. 9 is an elevation also Be it known that I, HERMAN O. CARVER, of illustrating a modification.

Red Oak, in the county of Montgomery and The body portion 11 of the apparatus is State of Iowa, have invented a new and Imformed approximately cylindrical, with its proved Script-Sign-Painting Apparatus, of outer'end rounded'and formed with a flanged 55 which the following is a full, clear, and exact. month 12, the oval or elliptical form of which description. may be seen in Fig. 3. Screwed into the in- The object of this invention is to provide a ternally-threaded inner end of the body'porsuperior apparatus for writing signs, and tion 11 is the enlarged outer end of the handleparticularly an apparatus which will be catube 13, to the opposite end of which a nipple 6o pable of very readily and beautifully forming 14 of the elbow 15 is connected, said elbow the various shade lines and scrolls desirable having communication with a reservoir 16 in this work. I attain this end by means of for the liquid used to form the signs. a main or body portion having a flanged The reservoir 16 is closed at the top and r 5 mouthpiece, a block contained within the may thus be inverted without spilling its conbody portion and having a portion engaged tents. Any suitable opening may be prowith the mouthpiece to close the same, and a vided in the reservoir for filling it. point passing through the block, the point Operating in triangularly shaped ears serving to form the fine lines, while the block formed integral with the body portion 11 are 20 is capable of moving inwardly to permit the the respective set-screws 17, which pass diflange of the mouthpiece to form shaded lines. agonally into the body portion and engage a The invention consists in certain peculiar plate 18, secured on the valve-block 19, said features of construction and combinations, valve-block having at its outer portion an which will be fully described hereinafter and oval-shaped projection 20, capable of snugly 25 finally embodied in the claims. fitting within the flanged mouth 12, and con-' Reference is to be had to the accompanying ti guous to the projection 20 is a packing-ring drawings, forming apart of this specification, 21, adapted to bear against the inner side of in which similar characters of reference indithe body portion adjacent to the mouth 12,

cate corresponding parts in all the figures. so as to close the mouth 12. The block 19 is 0 Figure 1 represents a perspective view of formed with a central orifice 22, the forward my invention, showing it as employed. Fig. portion of which is contracted, as best shown 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, showin Fig. 2, and extended to the front side of ing the parts in the position which they asthe block, producing an opening around which a some during the operation of changing from a flange 23 is formed.

3 5 a fine to a shaded line and directly before the The plate 18 is centrally perforated, and parts are ready to form this shaded line, the passed through this perforation is a threaded guide shown in Fig. 1 being omitted. Fig. 3 rod 24, the lower end of which passes into the is an end elevation of the main or body porcontracted forward portion of the recess 22, tion. Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the line and carries a point 25, which is formed with 40 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view in plan of the a screw-threaded shankadjustable in the end o main or body portion and the' parts within of the rod 24, whereby the position of the the same, the handle-tube and its connected point 25 with relation to the rod 24 may be parts having been removed. Fig 6 is a secregulated. The. point 25 forwardly projects tion also on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, with a herebeyond the flange 23, and the purpose of the 5 inafter-described part removed. Fig. 7 is a point 25 is to form the fine lines before re- 5 diagrammatic View showing the way in which ferred to. Operating on the rod 24 and lothe instrument is made to form the two cated within the recess 22 are two nuts 26, o'lassesoflines. Fig.8isasectionalviewtaken said nuts serving to limit the movement of r through the main or body portion and a por the rod Within the recess 22.

50 tion of the handle-tube, the view showing a As may be seen in Figs. 2 and 5, the body portion 11 is provided at its inner end with two flanges 27, said flanges being oppositely arranged and having spaces between their contiguous ends, through which spaces a plate 28 may be passed, said plate having a U- shaped yoke 29, by which it may be turned to move past the spaces between the ends of the flanges 27 and lie under said flanges.

Fig. 5 shows the plate 28, the yoke 29 being removed. The plate and the yoke 29 are orificed to receive the rod 24, and the plate is adapted to press a comparatively strong expansive spring 30, said spring bearing against the plate 18 on the block 19 and there by pressing said block outwardly, the block being capable of inward movement, limited, however, by the screws 17.

Contained within the handle 13 is a comparatively weak expansive spring 31, said spring engaging at its outer end with the nipple 14 and at its inner end with a spider-nut 31, secured on the rod 24, the rod 24 also having a locking-nut 32, by which the nut 31 may be held.

Contained within the body portion 11 are two oppositely located and curved guideplates 33, the guide-plates being adapted to receive the ends of the block 19 and to guide the same in its movement, and the guideplates are'perforated, so that they will not obstruct the flow of the liquid used for forming the signs. The outer edges of the guideplates 33 are formed with recesses in their middle portions, the recesses being arranged so as to leave projections at each end of each outer edge. These projections furnish means for connecting the guide-plates to the body portion, and are shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Embracing the outer end of the handle-tube 13 is the yoke 34 of an arm 35, the arm projectin g outwardly at right angles to the handle-tube and parallel with the mouthpiece 12. Carried by the arm 35 is a cross-bar 36, in the ends of which the screw-threaded rods 37 are respectively held, said rods having casters 38 at theirlower en ds,which casters are arranged to engage the surface on which the sign is formed and to support the apparatus, so that when operated to form thin lines the point 25 will alone engage the surface written on, while when the device is employed to make shaded lines the rods 37 and their casters 38 will serve to effect an even opening between the flanged mouth 12 and the surface on which the sign is formed, the point 25 still exclusively engaging the said surface.

The parts 35, 36, and 37 or their equivalents constitute a guide for the device.

Adjustably secured to the arm 35 is a supplemental arm 39, which projects laterally from the arm 35 and inward toward the handle-tube 13, said supplemental arm being adapted to engage the hand of the operator, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the operator may determine the exact degree of pressure which he applies to the arm 35, and consequently to the surface being written 011, it being only necessary to keep these points in mere contact, applying the greater part of the pressure to the point 25.

In using the invention the reservoir 16 'is filled with the liquid used to form the sign,

and the device is grasped, as shown in Fig. 1. The point 25 will first engage the surface, and, being pushed slightly inward by the pressure on it, will open a portion of the contracted outer end of the recess 22, so as to permit the liquid to flow around the point 25 and be applied to the painted surface, forming a line such as those indicated by the letter a in Fig. 7.

Should it be desired to blend the line a into a heavy-shade line, as indicated by the letter Z) in Fig. 7, additional pressure is applied to the handle-tube, which will cause the block 19 and the rod 24 to move inwardly against the tension of the springs 30 and 31 and the flange of the mouthpiece 12 to nearly engage the painted surface, it being understood that the point 25 still engages this surface. The paint will now flow through the space between the block 19 and the inner sides of the flange 12, and thence to the surface painted on via the space between the said surface and the flange 12, as will be fully described hereinafter, and a broad line will be formed, which line, by twisting or turning the body portion 11, may be gradually enlarged or contracted or abruptly terminated, as illustrated in Fig. 7. In this figure the projection 20 and point 25 are diagrammatically shown at various stages in the operation.

It will be seen that upon relaxing the pressure on the handle-tube 13, which pressure causes the block 19 to move inward, the block will return, and at this return, through the medium of the flange at the mouth 12, the block will so shut off the liquid that it will be forced back into the body portion 11, as contradistinguished from being pushed out through the month.

In forming certain styles of script the fine lines have but little curve, and to adapt the device to this work the modification shown in Fig. 8 is provided, such consisting in passing a rod 40 through the block 41, said rod extending slightly beyond the projection of the block 41 to form the writing-point. This dispenses with all of the other parts within the body portion 11, excepting the screws 42, which are similar to the screws 17 of the first form, and the side plates similar to the plates 33 in the before-described figures, which side plates are arranged and operated as described. The rod 40 is provided with a spider-nut 43 and pressed by a spring 44, contained within the handle-tube 13.

The modification shown in Fig. 9 consists in placing the reservoir 45 in axial coincidence to the handle-tube 13,. contradistinguished from connecting it with the tube 13 through the medium of the elbow 15, as in the first form. The purpose of this is to adapt the instrument for use on horizontal surfaces, it being understood that the first form of the invention is adapted for use on vertical surfaces, such latter use being the most common.

The liquid used to form the signs may be paintor other thickened liquid, such as whiting combined with a proportion of gum-water, such mixture being useful for producing temporary signs.

It will be seen that the screws 17 prevent the block 19 from excessive inward 'movem en't, and the adjustment of these screws is such that they will cause the nuts 26 to engage the plate 18, so that the point will always engage the surface on which the sign is formed, but will prevent the flange 12 from engaging this surface, since such engagement would tend to destroy the accuracy of the Work.

The space between the flange 12 and the said surface during the writing of broad lines is very slight, and through this space the paint flows.

The spring 31 is weaker than the spring 30, and pressure on the handle-tube 13 will first move the rod 24: inward until the nut 26 engages the plate 18, whereupon the spring 30 will be compressed. This compression of the spring 30 will be concurrent with the inward movement of the block 19.

The casters 38 serve to permit an easy rolling movement of the rest and entirely overcome friction, so as to make the apparatus effectively sensitive to the slightest movement of the hand of the operator.

The turning of the device to change the line from light to shade will not necessarily result in a complete inversion of the reservoir. Accordingly the necessary pressure of the ink or paint at the writing-point will always be preserved.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a body portion having a flanged mouth, a block capable of closing said mouth, and a point carried by the block and capable of projecting through the mouth and of movement with the block into the body portion, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a body portion having a mouth, an orificed block capable of removably closing said mouth, and a point movable through the orifice of the block and independently thereof, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a body portion having a mouth, a block capable of closing the mouth, a spring pressing the block, a rod passed through the block, a point carried by the rod and projecting through the mouth of the body portion, a spring pressing the rod, a nut carried by the rod and capable of engagement to move the block with the rod, and a screw carried by the body portion and limiting the inward movement of the block, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a body portion having a mouth, a block capable of closing the mouth, a rod passed into the body'portion and block, and a point carried by the rod and projecting through the mouth of the body portion, the block being capable of movement inward to open the mouth of the body portion, substantially as described.

5. A sign-painterhaving abody portion provided with liquid-feeding devices, a guide rigid with the body portion and capable of engaging the surface on which the sign is to be painted, and a supplemental arm carried by the guide and capable of engaging the hand of the operator and of indicating the degree of pressure applied to the guide, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a body portion having a flanged mouth, of a centrally-recessed block having a projection extending through the mouth, a rod passed into the recess of the block, a point carried by the rod and projecting through the block and through the mouth of the body portion, a screw carried by the body portion and engaging the block to limit itsinward movement,and means for spring-pressing the rod and block, substantially as described.

- HERMAN O. CARVER.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. BENEDICT, NEWTON HANNA. 

